


We Don't Have An Emergency Protocol For This

by kuro



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-04
Updated: 2014-09-06
Packaged: 2018-01-14 13:29:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1268161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuro/pseuds/kuro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony gets turned into a child. The Avengers (minus Thor) have an ingenious emergency protocol for this type of situation: In case of Stark, get Cap.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Emergency Protocol

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was supposed to be 1000 to 2000 words of fluff and humour, based on a photo of RDJ's famous first appearance in a film as a five-year-old. I failed badly (I'm sorry).  
> The story is not finished, and I might add a second part, if someone is actually interested in reading it.

Steve had been warned by the others already, but when he entered the communal living room in the Tower, he couldn't help gaping for a moment. The kid was really, _really_ cute.

He had always liked children, and before this whole frozen-in-the-ice-for-70-years mess had happened, he had liked to imagine that one day he would marry and have his own. He certainly wasn't the type to take out the baby talk and cheek pinching when around children, though. Children deserved to be treated with kindness and warmth, and squeezing them and shrieking into their face had never seemed particularly kind or considerate to him. Right this moment, however, he could feel his fingers twitch involuntarily. Those little rosy cheeks just looked so... _pinchable_. And the hair! He had expected the child to be as dark-haired as his adult counterpart, but the child sitting on the sofa was basically blond. Leave it to Tony to defy all expectations.

While he had been busy standing in the doorway, staring at their newly acquired 5-year-old, said 5-year-old had become aware of his presence. Huge, round, dark eyes turned towards him, focusing on him completely. A moment later, the boy hopped off the sofa and scuttled over to where Steve was standing. He unceremoniously latched on to Steve's trouser leg, staring up at him with an intense look in his eyes.

“You're Captain America,” he said, his voice filled with awe. “Daddy found you!”

Steve couldn't help but smile down at the boy. He still remembered his and (adult) Tony's first meeting very well, Tony being completely unimpressed with his everything and constantly blabbering on about things that Steve didn't understand (but having the vague feeling that he was being insulted). This Tony couldn't be more different, seeming to be extremely awed that he got to meet Captain America.

He gave in to his impulse and bent down, carefully stroking Tony's soft, fair hair. Like a cat, the boy immediately leant into the touch, enjoying the attention.

_This must be Tony all right,_ Steve thought to himself,  _still hogging the attention wherever he goes._

“That I am,” he answered instead, “And who might you be?”

“Anthony Edward Stark,” Tony replied with a huge smile on his face, “But you can call me Tony!”

“Well, Tony, it's an honour to meet you,” Steve responded seriously. “People know me as Captain America, but you can call me Steve.”

The fact that Captain America had just allowed Tony to call him by his given name seemed to leave Tony speechless for a moment. When he gathered himself, his face grew serious, though.

“But, if you're here, where's Daddy?” Tony inquired. “He promised to introduce me to you!”

He stared up at Steve with his intense eyes and a slight pout, and Steve felt his heart pound a little faster. How to explain to a five-year-old that he wasn't really five years old, but had been de-aged by magic, and that his parents had been dead for years?

“I'm really sorry about that, but your father has been called away for something very, very important, and can't be here with us,” Steve tried to explain (badly, he thought). “But I really wanted to meet you, so I came alone. I'll be staying with you until he returns?”

Steve had only said that in a bout of slight panic, but Tony's face lit up like Christmas had come early. He immediately started babbling about all the amazing things he had to show to the one and only Captain America, while Steve finally chanced a glance away from Tony, towards the rest of his teammates (minus Thor). All of them were wearing various shades of the same 'I am concerned, yet amused' expression on their faces. Steve itched to ask them if they already knew what exactly had happened, and if they had any clues how they should deal with this (you leave them alone for a short while _once_ , and this happens, really now). Was it a curse? Could it be reversed? What should they do with Tony? But with all of Tony's attention centred on him, Steve didn't dare to ask.

“Can we go home now?” Tony finally asked. “I want to go home.”

Steve startled. He had been so overwhelmed by this unprecedented development that he hadn't really thought about how they should deal with these new circumstances. Obviously, the Tower was not the place Tony had grown up in. And he probably had never seen the modern, sleek design and technology he was currently surrounded with. It was a surprise Tony wasn't panicking completely, seeing as he was _in a place he didn't know with people he had never met_. Honestly, thinking about it, Steve felt uncomfortably close to kidnapping, even though he rationally knew that Tony really was a full-grown adult that had his own multi-billion dollar company.

He heard one of his teammates (badly) suppress a snicker. Oh, so _that_ was it. They had probably been holding out until Captain America came back, only to shove the child into his care and let him deal with all the difficult questions. Not that this changed how they usually dealt with anything related to Tony. 

Probably noticing his internal panicking, J.A.R.V.I.S smoothly inserted himself in the conversation.

“Young sir, if I may interrupt?” he asked.

Tony's eyes grew big.

“Jarvis?” he piped. “Jarvis, where are youuuu, I wanna go home.”

“I am speaking on the phone, young sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S answered in his usual calm and collected tone. Apparently, Tony had done an excellent job, making the A.I. so similar to the actual Jarvis that his younger version didn't even notice the difference. “I am terribly sorry, but as Mr. Rogers has mentioned already, sir had to leave due to urgent business, and I fear you won't be allowed to return home for the time being. It is of utmost importance for your own safety. Mr. Rogers and his team will stay with you, however, until you are allowed to return home. I won't be able to stay with you, I am afraid, but you may call me at any time, young sir.”

_Dear Lord,_ Steve thought,  _what were you thinking, J.A.R.V.I.S. This is never going to work. Tony will never accept such a flimsy excuse._

Tony made an unhappy face, but then, to Steve's astonishment, said: “Stupid Daddy, he never tells me _anything_ , and he always breaks his promises! I'm going to stay with Steve, and I'm never going back!”

With that, he latched on to Steve's leg once more, and pulled on his trousers until Steve lifted him and cradled him in his arms. Tony immediately put his arms around Steve's neck and burrowed his face in Steve's chest, clinging so forcefully that it seemed he planned to never let go again.

After a moment, Steve could feel Tony starting to shake, and heard his breath hitch. Tony had reached his limit, it seemed. He automatically started to sway back and forth a little, rubbing Tony's back, simultaneously chastising Clint with a glare. The archer had already opened his mouth, no doubt to spout something rude, as he usually liked to do with Tony. Seeing that Cap _really_ didn't approve, Clint closed his mouth, and imitated Kid Tony's pouty face instead (he was suspiciously good at that).

Steve only rolled his eyes and turned to leave the living room. He could deal with his team and this whole mess of a situation later, but first he had to make sure that Tony was okay and taken care of.

“Come, we'll get you set up in a room, Tony,” he said softly.

Tony, his face still squished to Steve's chest, shook his head.

“Want to stay with you,” he mumbled, and clung to Steve even harder (not that Steve was bothered by that in the least, it was so much better than getting strangled by a Chitauri or a Hydra goon).

Steve considered. Honestly, he could use some kind of emergency protocol about how to deal with suddenly de-aged Avengers right about now. Why was there no such protocol? That was a gross oversight, he decided, and needed to be addressed at the next meeting.

“How about... we go to my room, and I will show you my shield before you lie down and take a nap?” he suggested, “I promise I will stay with you the whole time.”

Tony abruptly lifted his head to look at Steve with large, shocked eyes.

“Can I touch it?” he asked breathlessly (deliberately ignoring the fact that Steve had also suggested he take a nap – some things apparently never changed).

“Yes, you can touch it,” Steve chuckled, “if you're careful, you can even hold it.”

Tony only stared back with an expression of absolute reverence.

*

“So... that went surprisingly well?” Bruce said, one eyebrow raised, when the Captain and Tiny Tony (how creative, Clint) had left the room.

Clint started laughing.

“Cap is totally motherhenning Stark! And he has absolutely no defence against _that_ pouting face!” he cackled. Natasha rolled her eyes.

“I've told you before, in case of Stark, get Cap,” she said with a smirk.

“A flawless plan,” Bruce agreed with her. “We should stick to it.”

They all agreed completely to do just that.


	2. Captain America's Shield

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extremely short second chapter... I'm sorry. ;_; I promise, there will be more!
> 
> On the other hand, I have a tumblr now! :D I will be posting my writing there as well~ I love to talk, and I'm not really following any blogs yet, so if you want to talk or have any suggestions for good blogs to follow, find me under 'kurowrites'.

Tony was absolutely fascinated by Steve's shield. When they entered Steve's room, and Tony caught sight of it sitting next to Steve's bed (always ready in case of emergency, _NOT_ because he liked to pat it before he went to sleep), Tony's eyes became as big as saucer plates. Steve lifted him carefully out of his arms, crouched down and held the shield up by its leather straps. Tony looked like he might pass out from sheer excitement when he touched the white star in the centre of the shield. He carefully, reverently slid his tiny hands over the coloured surface, inspecting every detail. Steve turned around and showed him how to hold the leather straps. Tony's arms were obviously much too small to be able to fit into the straps, and the shield was way too heavy for him, but with Steve's help, Tony was able to hold the shield for a moment.

“Can you... can you throw it?” Tony asked with a shaking voice.

Steve laughed.

“Not here, unfortunately, I really don't want to destroy my bedroom,” he answered. “But we can go to the training room later, and I can show you some of the things I can do with my shield.”

Tony looked up with those imploring eyes he still sometimes used as a grown-up.

“Promise?” he quietly asked.

“Cross my heart and hope to die,” Steve solemnly promised. “But first, you have to take a nap.”

Tony's face turned into a pout immediately.

“Don't wanna,” he stated firmly.

Steve, still crouched next to Tony and holding the shield, bent closer to Tony.

“But this is an order from Captain America,” he whispered, and made a sad face. “Do you really want to reject an order from Captain America?”

Tony looked stricken, hearing these words. On one hand, he was probably used to disobeying orders or charming his way out – Steve knew that Tony had cultivated these two particular personality traits from a very early age. On the other hand, Tony was so incredibly awe-struck by the fact that Captain America was here, in the flesh, and had just shown him his shield, that it was hard for him _not_ to obey anything he was ordered to do.

“I will stay with you, Tony, I promised,” he added.

Tony cast down his eyes and sighed. He didn't say anything more, but simply raised his arms in quiet acceptance. Steve put his shield away, carefully picked up his teammate-turned-ward, and took off his shoes. (Now that he thought about it, where had his teammates gotten these clothes from so quickly? They fit Tony perfectly, and they were even in a similar style to what his grown-up version preferred to wear.) He put Tony on his bed, fluffed the pillow, and arranged the cover.

Once he was finished, he sat down on the bed and petted Tony's hair (he really couldn't help it, it was so silky and smooth).

“Sleep now,” he said in a soothing tone. “I will be there when you wake up.”

Tony looked at him with doubt in his eyes, but Steve's fingers carefully caressing his hair made his eyes droop more and more, and a minute later, he was asleep.

Steve's hand did not falter in its movement while he sat there staring out of the window, wondering how they should deal with this situation.


	3. The Truth Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...no-one can actually stay away from Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have another chapter, because I'm awesome and stuff.

Clint was the first who folded. He silently dropped from one of the air vents in Steve's room and stood next to Steve, looking down at the tiny human currently asleep in the bed. Steve hadn't moved from his position since Tony had fallen asleep, and was still gently stroking his fair hair. Despite his earlier refusal to sleep, Tony was almost comatose, not even twitching in his sleep.

“Is he alright?” Clint quietly asked.

“I think so,” Steve answered, just as quietly. Then he cracked a smile. “He was really hyped up about the shield.”

Clint sniggered.

“Not so different from his adult self then,” he quipped.

“He's a little worse at hiding it now,” Steve admitted, still smiling. It had taken him a long time to realise that the reason why Tony was so snippy with him was partly due to the fact that Steve had known his father and been something like a friend to him (Steve had learned to stay away from _that_ particular can of worms). It had also taken him a while to realise that Tony had had a severe case of hero worship going on during his childhood, and had therefore been unsure about how he should deal with Steve. Now that he had seen Tony as a child, he started to understand why Tony was a bit touchy about the subject.

“Where did you get the clothes from, by the way?” he asked (he was still wondering about that).

“J.A.R.V.I.S really is a fairy godmother,” Clint replied. He nodded towards Tony. “We dragged him to the Tower in a blanket, and basically as soon as we entered the building, J.A.R.V.I.S had him checked up and measured, and had some clothes delivered in only 15 minutes. I really don't want to know what happens when he decides to go dark side. He would make a terrifyingly efficient evil overlord.”

“Why thank you, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S quietly chimed in. “I will remember your kind words once my plans of taking over the planet are complete.”

Clint only rolled his eyes in a 'see what I mean?' gesture.

Steve laughed at the two of them (they had built a strange friendship mainly based on snarking at each other, very similar to the relationship both of them had with Tony, as well), but then sobered up.

“What exactly happened?” he asked Clint. “I heard you were called out, but what happened?”

“We don't know,” Clint admitted, lifting his hand and pressing his fingers to his eyes. “We were called out while you were away, but it didn't seem like anything too bad. Mad scientists going overboard with one of their little 'pet projects', you know the drill. Pink mice the size of an elephant, complete with tentacles, neon green canaries shooting lasers out of their eyes, nothing unusual, just a pain in the ass. We were already finishing up, rounding up the last of the nasty buggers, and Tony was his usual, equally pain-in-the-ass self. Then he suddenly dropped out of the air. We heard and saw nothing, no sign that anything was wrong. When we reached the armour, J.A.R.V.I.S had already activated the emergency release, and Tiny Tony was sitting in the middle of the armour plates, completely confused about where he was, and obviously not remembering anything. We let S.H.I.E.L.D do the clean-up, called you and came back to the Tower as soon as possible. The rest you know.”

Steve sighed. No leads, nothing.

“What about the scientists and their pets?” he probed.

“Taken into custody by S.H.I.E.L.D,” Clint replied. “But we don't think it was the pets, we all came into contact with them and nothing happened. They have already started interrogating the scientists, but no luck so far. Honestly, I don't think this had something to do with them. Too incompetent.”

“Incompetence can be a dangerous thing,” Steve pointed out.

“True,” Clint agreed. “But I don't think that was the case here.”

They both fell quiet, watching over Tony's innocent sleeping form.

*

Bruce was next. He hesitantly opened the door and looked in.

“Is he alright?” he asked.

“He'll be fine,” Steve said with a small smile. “We're all here.”

“Is that supposed to reassure me?” Bruce questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Steve huffed, and heard Clint snigger in the background.

“I can't leave him alone with _any_ of you, can I?” he sighed. He could already vividly imagine the fallout. He could only hope it wouldn't be a literal one.

Bruce slowly walked closer to the bed, his eyes on Tony. Steve sometimes really wondered whether Tony had magnetic abilities, attracting and pushing people away seemingly at will. No-one was unaffected by him, either they were completely ensnared or completely repulsed. Staying neutral was not an option around him. Frustrating and infuriating, but that was Tony, and they wouldn't have it any other way.

Bruce stopped next to the bed for a moment and watched. He had an intense expression on his face, one Steve had a hard time to decipher. To be honest, he had always found Bruce the most difficult to get a read on, even though he could say without a single doubt that he trusted the man with his life.

Bruce smiled to Steve, as if he was guessing his complicated feelings, and turned around to settle into a chair sitting in a corner of Steve's room. He opened the book he had brought with him and started to read. The following silence was only interrupted by the sound of Bruce turning the pages of his book.

*

Natasha was the last one. She soundlessly entered the bedroom and unceremoniously made herself comfortable on the unused half of Steve's bed. (Of course, Tony had been adamant about putting a huge bed in each of their rooms, even though Steve had insisted that he was quite all right with a smaller one. Well, if he secretly enjoyed sprawling all over his bed at night, that was nobody's business). After having arranged the pillows to her liking, Natasha proceeded to study Tony's sleeping form for a while.

“Is he alright?” she finally asked.

Steve couldn't help but give her a big smile. It was in moments like this that he realised they had really become more than just a simple team of misfits, trying to save the world.

“He will be,” he repeated, convinced. This time, he didn't make the mistake of adding 'because we're here for him', or something equally silly. He was sure that Natasha would understand anyway.

Natasha turned away from Tony and met Steve's gaze for a moment. There was something very serious in her expression.

“You'd make an excellent father, you know that?” she asked him. She didn't seem to expect an answer from him, however, and relaxed back into the pillows, closing her eyes (Steve was under no illusion that she wasn't actually monitoring all of them).

The resuming silence settled like a protective blanket over all of them.


	4. The Cookie Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony wants to eat cookies. That sounds pretty simple. Unfortunately, simple things usually don't end well for the Avengers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know. The weather is shitty, and there is nothing to do apart from reading or watching TV (or being responsible, but that's not really an option here), so I figured I might as well write another chapter. Hope you like it. ^^
> 
> Also, I want cookies, but there are none. D:

After several hours of very deep sleep, Tony finally started to slowly wake up. He lazily opened his eyes and blinked up at Steve a few times, confused. Steve could see clearly how awareness returned into Tony's gaze and he remembered where he was and what had happened. A range of conflicting emotions quickly flitted over Tony's face, emotions that a small child like him should not know about. The next thing Steve knew, Tony had attached himself firmly to his arm, not planning on letting go.

Clint, who was still standing next to Steve, grinned at that and opened his mouth to say something (no doubt completely inappropriate), but Tony effectively shut him up with a venomous glare – he had apparently already learned that nothing good ever came out of Clint's mouth. Clint was smart enough to stop there – the grown up version of Tony liked to threaten Clint with things like changing all his passwords or deleting his game scores, and who knew how soon Tiny Tony figured out how to work things like that and actually _do_ them.

“Are you hungry?” Steve asked, patting Tony's head. Tony immediately turned away from Clint and ignored him completely, concentrating instead on getting his head scratched in the right place.

“I want cookies,” he finally said, almost purring.

Steve chuckled.

“Well, let's go to the kitchen and see what we have in storage then,” he answered.

Tony looked up at him, clearly calculating with how much he was able to get away. Slowly, he began to put more and more weight into his grip on Steve's arm, and Steve finally couldn't help it but laugh. He lifted Tony and carried him to the door, followed by a whole procession of Avengers.

*

They were lucky and found some tasty chocolate chip cookies in the pantry that hadn't fallen victim to any of the residents' enormous appetites yet. Steve also procured a glass of milk for Tony, and then proceeded to sit him at the table. Tony was thrilled, so thrilled, in fact, that he forgot to clutch onto Steve like a baby koala.

Since Tony was otherwise occupied, Steve used the opportunity to ask the others (who had also graciously helped themselves to the cookies and were munching them animatedly) whether any of Tony's emergency contacts had been contacted yet. They just shrugged, which probably meant that they thought that this was Steve's responsibility. Steve rolled his eyes. Seriously, these guys.

“I'm going to call Pepper,” he said. “Can you guys take care of Tony in the meantime?”

“Go and do your responsibility thing,” Bruce mumbled through a mouth of cookies and waved with his hands as if to shoo Steve out. Steve let himself be shooed out, because honestly, there were three Avengers in that room, what was the worst that could happen?

*

Okay, Steve was taking that back. Three Avengers and a shrunken Avenger in a kitchen was apparently a recipe for disaster. He had only just informed Pepper about their unfortunate Tony-related incident (Pepper quietly and calmly listened to him, but he could feel her judgement coming through the earpiece anyway) when a cacophony of noise came from the direction of the kitchen. Whatever that was, it did _not_ sound good.

“Sorry, Pepper, I need to run,” he said, and cut Pepper off in the middle of a protest (he would definitely pay for that later).

When he arrived in the kitchen, he was greeted by the sight of a huge hole where there had previously been a wall (and a refrigerator). The kitchen table lay broken on the floor, and there were pieces of former wall everywhere. White dust was slowly settling on every surface.

Steve stood there for one moment, feeling a cold shiver running down his back. Bruce had hulked out, and Tony had been in the room. This was Not Good. He couldn't even decide where to start looking.

Slowly and carefully, one of the cupboard doors started to move. Steve already wanted to sigh with relief, and went over to clear away the rubble in front of the door, but it was only Natasha that climbed out of the cupboard once he had pulled it open.

“Where are Clint and Tony?” Steve asked immediately.

“Sorry,” Natasha coughed, “I couldn't do anything. But I think Clint pulled Tony up into the air vents.” Steve was relieved to hear that. Natasha wouldn't say anything if she wasn't pretty sure it had happened. (That was one of the things he really liked about her. When she was just Natasha, she tended to be very clear and to the point. She didn't coddle people, but then, that was something Steve had always appreciated.)

Steve and Natasha looked around the kitchen a little helplessly, but then decided that cleaning up probably didn't do much good. Most of the furniture had been destroyed, and to replace the wall, the rest probably had to be taken out as well. They couldn't hear any noise, which meant that Bruce either had already turned back, or had vacated the building long ago. Either way, they should probably go look for Clint and Tony first.

*

Looking for the two of them was harder than they had thought. Steve had assumed that they would simply pop out of one of the vents of one of the neighbouring rooms, but no such luck. He was sure that once, he heard someone snigger in on of the vents, but by the time he had climbed up there and stuck his head in, nobody was there. Natasha rose an eyebrow when Steve came back down empty-handed. Steve nodded to her. The game was so _on_.

It was really quite a challenge, and in the end, Natasha had to climb into the air vent as well, but they eventually caught the two of them. Natasha tackled Clint and threw him mercilessly down one of the exits, and Steve managed to grab one of Tony's feet and pull him out of the vent just before he vanished around a corner. Clint couldn't stop cackling between groans of pain (Natasha had gotten a bit too enthusiastic about the game after Clint had managed to narrowly escape twice), and Tony was giggling while squirming in Steve's arms, as well. Steve couldn't even bother with being annoyed about their stupid game, he was simply relieved that the two of them were uninjured and Tony didn't seem traumatised about the Hulk's earlier appearance at all.

“Why exactly did Bruce hulk out?” Steve wondered.

“Oh,” Clint answered. “He choked on a cookie.”

Steve stared at Clint, thinking he must be joking, but Clint nodded.

“It was actually pretty funny, until the hulking out part happened,” he added, and cackled some more. Tony was making appropriate growling and hacking noises, and soon, all of them were laughing like madmen.

*

Much later, when they had settled in front of the TV and chosen an age-appropriate film for Tony (with a lot of whining from Clint, as if he didn't like Disney), as well as gotten a new batch of cookies and milk fresh from the supermarket (also with a lot of whining from Clint, because he was the one who had to go do the groceries), the door opened, and a badly-dressed Bruce was standing outside.

“Sorry about that, guys,” Bruce mumbled. They all laughed, told him to sit down, and also added that no, he wouldn't be getting any cookies anymore. Bruce gave them a crooked smile, but sat down and didn't try to apologise again. Instead, he promised to take care of the reconstruction of the kitchen (since Tony obviously couldn't at the moment).

Tony, hyped up and high on sugar from the cookies, tried to tell Bruce all about his adventure in the vents while also trying not to miss anything going on in the film they were currently watching. After a while, though, the sugar high faded, and even the film wasn't interesting enough to keep his attention any longer. Tony yawned and crawled into Steve's lap, where he fell promptly asleep.

Steve smiled to himself. Tony, so happy and affectionate; it was a good feeling. Soon, Steve also fell into a deep, calm sleep. He didn't even hear the others switch off the TV and heading to their bedrooms, but simply sat slumped on the comfortable sofa, cradling Tony and protecting him in his dreams.


	5. Strawberry Jam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Tiny Tony on the couch. A visit from Pepper. Also, breakfast with Clint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this was totally not how I planned this to go, and it's a total mess. I don't even know what I'm doing here. I'm sorry.

For the past ten minutes, Steve had been trying his best to ignore the morning sun shining on his face, but the sun was proving to be more persistent than him. Begrudgingly, he finally gave up the fight and slowly opened his eyes, blinking up to the ceiling. The living room was quiet, the only sound a soft snuffle coming from the little bundle of blankets and tousled hair currently curled up on his chest. Steve honestly couldn't remember when he had slept this soundly the last time, despite the fact that he had spent the night lying on a sofa (well, it was a sofa chosen by Tony Stark, a billionaire with notoriously high standards, so it was a very comfortable sofa). During the night, he had woken up long enough to shift the two of them into a slightly more comfortable position and grab a few blankets, but had immediately clocked out once more afterwards.

Unwilling to get up quite yet, Steve let his mind wander for a minute. Thanks to Bruce and Clint, they had gotten distracted yesterday, so they hadn't even started to think how they should deal with Tony's situation from now on. Not that he even knew _where_ to start looking for a solution. No news had come from S.H.I.E.L.D yet, so the mad scientists had proven to be either unrelated to Tony's abrupt change in size, or they were really, _really_ stupid. Steve couldn't help but feel that it was the former rather than the latter, and his gut feeling was usually right.

Thinking about Tony's situation, he couldn't prevent a deep sigh (Tony made a complaining noise at the strange movement, but didn't wake up). The only thing he could really do right now was scaring up a few scientists and magicians and let them take a look at Tony in the hope anybody would find out what had happened to him. Tony would probably behead him personally for that after this whole ordeal was over, but he would do that anyway. As much as Steve hoped that Tony would not find out what had happened during his little de-ageing incident once he turned back (and turn back he _would_ ), that option was unavailable, thanks to J.A.R.V.I.S. Sooner rather than later, Tony would find out, and subsequently murder Steve for daring to treat his 5-year-old self like a child, and _cuddle_ with him. He should probably plan a visit to the notary, just to make sure.

Steve's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of the elevator door opening. Sharp heels clicked on the tiles in the hallway – a sure-fire sign that Pepper had arrived. He had already expected her, since there was no way she would let yesterday's events simply slide. He _had_ hoped, however, that he would get to eat breakfast before she came to give him a piece of her mind. So much for that.

The clicking slowed down for a moment, and Steve could hear J.A.R.V.I.S address Pepper quietly before she finally entered the living room. She zeroed in on Steve immediately, a sharp crease in her brow. It made Steve feel slightly intimidated, lying on the sofa while Pepper was staring down at him, her dress and make-up immaculate as usual (while he was probably looking rather creased and dishevelled, considering he was technically still lying in bed), clearly gearing up to give him a chewing out. Tony was still peacefully sleeping on his chest, though, and Steve wanted to let him sleep for a little longer. He lifted a finger to his lips and carefully curled his unoccupied hand around the softly breathing bundle on his chest. Pepper looked down at the bundle, her expression softening, eyes growing wide.

“Tony?” she couldn't help but ask, and got a rude sound coming out from somewhere underneath the blankets in return. Steve sighed. So much for sleeping. Tony started to wriggle in his nest of blankets, so Steve sat up and carefully unwrapped him. After a short struggle, he sat on Steve's lap, rubbing his eyes and glaring up at Pepper.

“What?” Tony asked with a glare and a pout. “Who are you?” Apparently, rudeness was not a trait that Tony had acquired over the years – it had been there from the very beginning. Pepper wordlessly stared at Tony. Steve had already told her that Tony had been turned into a five-year-old, but hearing about it over the phone and actually seeing it was something very different, it seemed. She shook her head slightly and quickly gathered herself, giving Tony the sincerest smile she could master.

“Hi, Tony,” Pepper said, deliberately keeping her voice light and gentle. “I'm Pepper. I'm here to assist you with anything you need.” Tony studied her for a second, the expression on his face much too serious.

“I want breakfast,” he finally declared imperiously. Steve hastily tried to suppress a very unbecoming snigger, but he couldn't hide the way his shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter. Both Tony and Pepper glared at him with eerily similar expressions on their faces.

“Come on, Tony,” he said, lifting Tony from his lap and standing up. “I'll make you breakfast. Want some pancakes?”

“Strawberry jam!” came the delighted answer, while Pepper made a face.

*

After seating Tony at the kitchen table and distracting him with some juice, Steve had slipped on an apron (it had been a present from Tony, with 'KISS THE CAP' printed on it in bright pink – Pepper's face had been _totally_ worth it) and started to make pancakes. He had also offered to make something for Pepper, but she had politely declined. Instead, she stood in a corner, arms crossed and eyes wandering from Tony to Steve, and then back again. Steve knew how he must be looking – like a father making breakfast for his child rather than a teammate taking care of another member of his team. He found that he didn't really mind.

“We don't know what happened,” he informed her, once he was sure Tony was busy looking at a comic book Clint had left lying around. Pepper's eyes immediately focused on him once more. He carefully turned the half-finished pancake in the frying pan before he continued to speak. “We don't know what happened, or how we should deal with it, and we know this puts you in a difficult situation. I will do everything I can to bring him back.”

Pepper stared at him for a moment before she sighed and slowly relaxed.

“Steve, I know that most likely, this is Tony's own fault. He's always been good at getting himself into the strangest kinds of trouble,” she said with a hint of weariness in her tone. “I'm not blaming any of you, and I know you will try your best to help him.”

She stepped closer to Steve and laid a hand on his arm.

“Take care of him,” she whispered. She turned to look at Tony once more, immersed into the comic. “I have never seen him look so happy.”

“Will do, ma'am,” Steve answered with a small, sad smile. With a last, calculating look, Pepper turned away, stroked Tony's hair (he gratefully accepted the attention, despite the fact that he was still eyeing her suspiciously) and said her goodbyes.

*

A few moments after Pepper had left the kitchen, Clint came in, sniffing greedily (and no doubt hoping to get some of the pancakes).

“Did Pepper give you a chewing out?” he asked, tickling Tony as he passed him by to get to the coffee maker. Tony giggled, tried to take revenge by hitting Clint, and almost fell out of the chair because Clint was way too fast for him.

“No,” Steve replied with a wry smile, starting a new batch of pancakes, “I think she decided against it in the end.”

“Lucky you,” Clint said. “She's like Natasha. It's awesome when they're on your side. Trying to fight them is nothing short of suicidal, though... no, Tony, the coffee is _not_ for you!”

Steve, having finally loaded a fair amount of pancakes onto a plate, turned around to see what Tony was doing this time. Tony had given up reading his comic book and relocated on Clint's lap, where he was currently busy trying to sneak some of Clint's coffee. Clint, however, was not in the mood to share his morning coffee, and kept his mug outside of Tony's reach. Tony's pout was already reaching epic proportions. Smiling, Steve put the plate with the pancakes and a jar of strawberry jam in front of the two of them.

“ _Share_ ,” he stressed, before turning back to the stove to finish his own pancakes. There was some bickering going on for a while, but by the time Steve returned to the table with his own plate, the two of them were amicably stuffing their faces, strawberry jam smeared all over their cheeks.

Steve decided not to mention it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have some ideas for the next chapter, but after that, I'm open to suggestions! Do you have anything you'd really like to see in this story? Leave a comment here or come bother me on [tumblr](http://kurowrites.tumblr.com)! :D


	6. Curiosity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony goes on an expedition. Steve is a total mother-hen.

If Steve had learned something since Tony had been turned into a child, it was that Tony should not, under any circumstance, stay unattended for even just one second. (Well, to be honest, the same thing probably applied to adult Tony, as well.) At first, that hadn't been such a problem, since Tony had basically attached himself to Steve like a baby koala. However, the boy was so curious and restless that after a while, even the novelty of a real live Captain America started to wear off. So Steve had turned his back to Tony for a moment, washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen, and when he turned again, Tony had disappeared from his spot at the kitchen table.

“Tony?” Steve called out, bending down low and checking if he had hidden beneath the kitchen table. He was only greeted by the sight of a few stray drops of strawberry jam. Thinking that maybe Clint had taken Tony with him when he had left the kitchen, he went out into the living room, but the living room was completely empty. A little concerned now, Steve turned towards their private rooms.

“Clint?” he asked, knocking on the door that lead to Clint's room. When no reaction came, he tried opening it. No such luck, though, the door was locked.

_Strange_ , Steve thought to himself, trying to put a lid on his growing worry. 

Then he remembered with a bit of embarrassment that they still had an A.I. who was controlling the whole tower. He probably should avoid speaking to him as long as Tony was close by, but Steve decided that this wasn't the time to be worried about that kind of thing.

“JARVIS?” he asked.

“What can I help you with, Mr. Rogers?” JARVIS calmly replied.

“Where's Tony?” Steve demanded to know.

“It appears sir is currently located in his workshop,” JARVIS informed him with a rueful tone in his voice.

“In his... what?” Steve gaped, “JARVIS, why is he in the workshop? Did you let him in there? He's a child, he shouldn't be let into the workshop!”

“Well, it seems he overrode my protocols,” JARVIS confessed, now definitely sounding apologetic. Steve was completely dumbfounded. How had a five-year-old managed to override JARVIS' protocols? That shouldn't be possible and was, frankly, worrying. Without wasting another word, Steve hurried towards the elevator that would bring him down to Tony's workshop. JARVIS, the excellent observer that he was, had already opened the doors.

* * *

 

Steve dashed out of the elevator in a hurry, his mind already unhelpfully supplying him with a variety of horror scenarios. He knew what kind of dangerous tools Tony stored in there. When he finally reached the glass door, he came to an abrupt stop. Dum-e was wheeling around inside, Tony half clasped in his claw, half hanging down. Tony was squealing and laughing with every turn Dum-e took, and the two of them looked like they were generally having a lot of fun. Steve sighed with relief. At least nothing bad had happened while he was unaware. Still, Tony couldn't stay in the workshop.

Steve typed his password into the keypad next to the door, and luckily, it still worked. When the door opened, he could finally hear Tony's laughter and Dum-e's excited chirping, apparently happy that for once, Tony gave him his full attention. He couldn't suppress a smile and felt almost bad to break up the game the two of them had started.

“Tony,” he called out. “Dum-e.”

Dum-e stopped and turned around, beeping in a way that sounded like a question. Steve went over and carefully lifted Tony out of his claw.

“Noo,” Tony whined, trying to cling to the robot's arm. “Let me play with the robot. He's fun.”

“I know,” Steve soothed him, giving him a kiss on the forehead (which Tony promptly leaned into). “But you shouldn't have come here alone. How did you even get in here?”

Tony huffed derisively.

“That security system was sooooo easy to crack,” he bragged. “Anybody could do that.”

Steve guessed it was probably not a good idea to tell Tony he had just cracked one of the most advanced security systems on the planet, one that was also guarded by an artificial intelligence. It was probably a Tony thing. If he could trust all the documents he had read, Tony's extraordinary intelligence had manifested itself quite early, and had also been ruthlessly cultivated by his father. Tony himself had built the security system, so there was a chance that there was enough 'Tony' in the system that a younger version of himself recognised the building structure and managed to crack it. That was only Steve's guesswork, though. He could use technical stuff just fine, but he wasn't particularly knowledgeable about how exactly things worked. He left those kinds of things to Tony.

Tony wiggled around in Steve's arms, trying to get let down on the floor.

“Can't I stay here?” he begged. “I like it here, and Daddy won't yell at me when I play here.”

“Tony...” Steve tried, not sure what to say.

“Daddy won't come and get me, right?” Tony said, suddenly going very still. “He won't come, that's why I'm here.”

Steve was thrown for a loop for a moment, not quite understanding what Tony meant. Then it dawned on him. He couldn't do anything else but stare into the big, sad eyes of this child and wonder just how much they had underestimated his intelligence. He found himself unable to lie, so he hugged Tony closer to him, cradling him gently and whispering meaningless reassurances into his hair. Tony stayed quiet, but he clasped Steve's shirt and wouldn't let go for quite a while.

For the nth time, Steve wondered how you tell a little boy that his father is long dead and he is not really a child.

* * *

 

Steve didn't feel like forcefully pulling Tony out of the workshop after that, and allowed him to play in there for a bit. He tried to mainly limit Tony's playground to Dum-e and few simple tools and materials. Tony started to lose interest in Dum-e after a while, since Steve didn't allow him to race around in the workshop hanging from Dum-e's claw like he had done just before Steve had arrived. After that, he turned towards the great variety of tools lying around the workshop, and found enough material to quickly build a tiny version of Dum-e. Since he didn't know how to program a basic AI yet, though, he only managed to make it roll in a straight line until it bumped into something. Dum-e and Steve watched the process, fascinated, and Dum-e beeped excitedly when the little robot rolled around for the first time. When he kept bumping into things and not responding to Dum-e's attempts to help the little robot, the bot grew visibly frustrated and started beeping in a way that might have been cursing if he had a voice. Steve couldn't help but laugh, which earned him a piqued glare from Tony.

Thanks to Tony's curiosity, it didn't take him long to lose interest in the little robot as well and start digging through all the other things in the workshop. Before Steve even knew what had happened, Tony had already discovered and removed the panel that hid away all of Tony's suits. Just like the adult Tony, kid Tony became engrossed in them immediately. He couldn't really reach them, and Steve didn't want to leave him unattended again, so he carried Tony around like a little king, obeying his commands while Tony studied the armours. Dum-e was beeping a little sadly in the background since he had now definitely been replaced by a newer, shinier toy.

“Sorry, buddy,” Steve said to the little bot, patting him a little awkwardly with his free hand. “I guess none of us stand a chance against the suits.”

“I wanna build a robot like that, too,” Tony proclaimed, ignoring Steve's and Dum-e's commiseration.

“They're not actually robots,” Steve said. “They're suits of armour. You can fight in them, and also fly.”

Tony's eyes grew wide at that, and Steve hurried to add that no, Tony was not allowed to try them on or fly, he was much too small for that. Affronted, Tony puffed out his cheeks until he looked like a chipmunk and started wiggling again until he was let down on the floor.

“I don't like you!” he shouted, running away through the workshop, with Dum-e following him on his heels like a faithful dog. “Stupid Captain America!”

Steve sighed. The novelty had definitely worn off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://kurowrites.tumblr.com).


	7. Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony is stubborn, but likes to change his mind every so often. 
> 
> Rhodey makes his first appearance.

Tony refused to talk to Steve for the rest of the day and fled every time he came a little too close. Steve spent the whole afternoon hovering nearby (but not too near) worryingly, always ready to react should something bad happen. Only when Tony got sleepy and hungry he crankily allowed Steve to take him up to the living quarters, feed him and put him to bed.

Thinking that since he was out of favour with Tony now, Steve tried to bring him into (adult) Tony's actual bedroom, but as soon as Tony realised that Steve was planning to leave him alone in a different bedroom than before, he balked.

“I'm not sleeping here,” he informed Steve, narrowing his eyes and glaring at Steve.

“Well, what do you want?” Steve asked, voice slightly sharper than usual.

“You promised not to leave me alone!” Tony shouted, grabbing a pillow from the bed and throwing it at Steve. “ _Stupid grown-ups!_ ”

Steve felt immediately guilty. He didn't want to be another adult in the probably very long list of people who told Tony lies to placate him. Breaking his promise was not something Captain America did. He gathered his calm, bent down to retrieve the thrown pillow and carefully rearranged the pillow on the bed.

“You can come sleep in my bed, if you want,” Steve offered. “I just thought you wouldn't want to since you're angry with me.”

“I don't care!” Tony shouted. “You promised!”

“I did,” Steve affirmed. “And you can. Let's go.”

Still glaring at him with an angry expression that clearly spelled that Tony didn't quite trust him at the moment, Tony followed Steve out of the bedroom and down the hall to Steve's.

When Steve entered his bedroom, he was greeted by the sight of a lot of different articles of clothing and other necessities a child would need. Good, the others had not been idle for once. By the looks of it, Pepper also had had a hand in purchasing the right things.

Tony, curious as always, tottered over and immediately grabbed a Captain America pyjama. Then he realised what he was doing, glared at Steve, and pulled out the other one, a red one with an Iron Man design. He stared at it for a little, probably trying to place it, then shrugged and unceremoniously appropriated it. He looked up at Steve, expectant.

_Bathroom_ , Steve realised. Tony hadn't really had a shower or anything since he had been turned into a child. Steve picked out toothbrush, toothpaste, shower utensils and other things out of the heap of items and beckoned Tony to the bathroom. 

It was an... interesting experience. This was still his teammate, but now he was also a child, one that still needed some help, despite the fact that Tony could assemble a little robot in a very short time. Washing Tony's hair ended up in a bubble fight, and Steve's clothes were dripping wet by the end. Oh well. Better than being dowsed in alien slime.

He picked Tony out of the bathtub and wrapped him into a big towel until he looked like a fluffy burrito. 

“Hey,” Tony complained. “I can't move.” 

“Good,” Steve countered with a grin, picked him up and towelled his hair dry. Tony pretended to be upset at first, but then he gave in and single-mindedly enjoyed the attention. Steve had noticed it before, Tony was extremely focused on any kind of physical attention. It might be because Tony was simply a very tactile child, but he had a hunch that this wasn't everything. He didn't want to follow that train of thought, though, because that would most likely only end in anger and frustration. So he hugged Tony a little closer and gave him a small kiss on the forehead, and smiled down at him when Tony glared up at Steve. 

“Don't baby me,” Tony complained. 

“I would never,” Steve promised. “But good boys deserve kisses.”

“Am I a good boy?” Tony asked, doubt in his voice.

“The best,” Steve answered. “That's why you deserve lots of kisses.”

And then he peppered Tony with kisses until the boy was shrieking with laughter. 

 

* * *

After Steve had finally dressed Tony in his pyjama (he had eventually shown his true colours and insisted on wearing the Captain America one) and changed into his own night clothes, he put Tony to bed with another kiss (Tony had insisted). Then he looked through the clothes and items and stowed them away. They had really thought about everything, but the fact that they had basically dumped everything in his room spelled out that they expected him to take care of Tony. 

While finishing putting everything away, Steve noticed a small piece of paper that must have fallen down on the floor when Tony had pulled out the pyjamas. 

_Might have a lead, debriefing tomorrow 8 am. Rhodey will babysit. - N._

Steve raised an eyebrow. So they had really let him handle Tony while they had gone off to look for clues. Not that Steve would have wanted to leave Tony to anybody else. He liked the Avengers and trusted them with his life, but any of them taking care of Tony was a clear recipe for disaster. Rhodey, on the other hand... Rhodey would probably the ideal caretaker when Steve wasn't able to do so. He didn't quite know how they had got a highly decorated and busy member of the Air Force to agree on babysitting Tony, but he really didn't want to scrutinise that lucky coincidence too much. Slightly reassured, he curled up next to Tony and fell asleep quickly.

* * *

 

The next morning, he woke up because something was poking his face.

“Mhrghl,” he sleepily complained.

“Come on, Steve,” Tony cajoled. “Wake up, I'm huuuuungryyyyy.”

“Mhhh, go eat,” Steve grunted.

“But you make the best pancakes,” Tony insisted. “I want your pancakes. Come oooon, get up, you are Captain America, why are you so lazy?”

“Why are you so chipper in the morning?” Steve asked. “You are never this chipper in the morning.”

_Oh shit_ . Steve opened his eyes in shock. 

Too late, Tony was already narrowing his eyes and looking at him with a calculating expression. 

“Okay, okay, I'm up,” Steve tried to deflect desperately. “Let's go make pancakes.”

He had majorly fucked up. Tony wouldn't forget this. 

 

* * *

Tony didn't mention Steve's slip-up, but he retreated a little. Steve was distinctly getting the feeling that their relationship was mainly defined by very sudden upward and downward curves. Which wasn't so different from his relationship with adult Tony, actually. The two of them generally got on well, but they also frequently clashed with each other. 

Tony seemed to come back out of his shell when Steve served him tasty pancakes (food and cuddles seemed to work pretty well as bribe), and he was completely back to normal by the time the others piled into the kitchen. 

Clint made pitiful faces at him (while Tony was sniggering in the background) until Steve gave in and made more pancakes. He made enough pancakes to last all of them, and he was lucky that Thor wasn't here, because otherwise, that would have been  _a lot_ of work. In between, he also had to break up a fight between Clint and Tony, who started a quarrel over who got more strawberry jam. 

He had only just managed to finally sit down, explain to Tony that someone was coming to take care of him today, and finish eating his own pancakes, when he heard the elevator door open. It was just before 8 am, so that must be Rhodey, extremely punctual as usual. 

“Come, Tony, I'm going to introduce you to Uncle Rhodey,” he said to Tony. “Clint can do the washing-up.”

“Hey!” Clint protested, but Steve ignored him, picked Tony up and went into the living room. Rhodey was already waiting, looking at him with a neutral expression on his face (the one he usually used before he gave someone a whipping). 

“Hey Rhodey,” Steve greeted him with an apologising smile. “This is Tony.” 

Tony studied Rhodey from where he was sitting on Steve's arm, still in his Captain America pyjamas. Steve suddenly felt embarrassed, standing there in the middle of the living room with a tiny Tony wearing his colours in his arms. It looked like he was somehow monopolising Tony. And he really, really didn't want that. He blushed. 

Rhodey shook his head a little, exasperated, and then suddenly grinned at Tony.

“Hey squirt,” he teased, pinching one of Tony's cheeks. Steve hadn't been the only one with that reaction, then. 

“Hey!” Tony protested the treatment, trying to bat away Rhodey's hand. Rhodey only laughed. 

“Come here,” he said to Tony, holding out his hands. “So the adults can do their adulting business.” 

Tony kept staring at Rhodey, but he didn't protest when Steve handed him over, placidly wrapping his arms around Rhodey's neck. 

“Kiss,” he demanded, looking at Steve. Rhodey rose an eyebrow, making Steve's receding blush return in full force. 

“Be a good boy, promise?” Steve asked, giving Tony a good-bye kiss on the cheek. 

“Promise,” Tony said, giving him one back. 

(Rhodey was totally laughing, even though he tried to hide it.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://kurowrites.tumblr.com)!


	8. Song And A Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony + Rhodey + Disney = singing. 
> 
> (Or something like that.)

"So," Rhodey started once Steve had left, "any plans for today?"

"Can I go to the workshop again?" Tony requested excitedly.

"Steve let you into the workshop?" Rhodey asked, surprised. "Really?"

"I found it myself?" Tony tried, making puppy eyes at him.

"Nah, sorry," Rhodey snorted, not affected by the blatant manipulation (he had been around Tony long enough for that, although the puppy eyes _were_ slightly more effective now that he was much, much cuter and well, _tinier_ ). "I'm not going to hang around with you in the workshop the whole day."

"Just for a bit," Tony whined, wriggling around in Rhodey's arms.

"Yeah, right," Rhodey said, rolling his eyes. "You're a Stark. Tiny or big, there's no getting you out of a workshop once you're inside."

Tony continued to whine, but Rhodey stayed completely unimpressed. Eventually, Tony slumped in Rhodey's arms, leaning on his shoulder.

"Everyone is mean to me," he complained. "And no-one tells me anything."

"Well, you're what, five?" Rhodey asked. "No wonder nobody tells you anything."

Tony, predictably, pouted at him.

"I'm not stupid!" he indignantly stressed.

"Yeah, nobody said that," Rhodey agreed. "Doesn't change the fact that you're five."

Tony seemed so appalled that he was rendered speechless for a moment.

"How about we watch a Disney film?" Rhodey suggested, trying to distract Tony from the problem at hand. He knew that adult Tony had a secret weakness for Disney and other kinds of animated films, so why would it be different with tiny Tony?

"Daddy doesn't let me watch those," Tony informed him matter-of-factly. Then he paused for a moment. "But I want to. Can I?"

"Of course you can!" Rhodey quickly agreed, giving Tony a wiggle that made him giggle.

Tony hadn't notices Rhodey's surprise and mild shock at his words, which was completely fine with him, actually. But Howard hadn't let a little kid watch Disney films? Had that been the reason why Rhodey had often caught Tony watch old Disney films at MIT? He remembered it clearly; whenever Tony got stuck with inventing, he used to hang out in front of the television for days, his undivided attention on the screen.

Rhodey plopped down on the sofa, still holding Tony in his arms.

"In that case, I suggest a chronological viewing," he said, decision made. "Let's start with Snow White."

* * *

 

Tony was absolutely in love with Disney films once they started to watch. At first, he had been a little shy, not really showing any reaction to all the singing and talking animals on the screen. But as a child, he was much more open and easy to read than as an adult and after a while, Rhodey started to sing along with the songs.

Tony looked a bit shocked at first, because he had never been allowed to do something as childish as that. Soon enough, however, both of them were singing along with each song loudly, putting them on repeat so they could sing them all over again. It wasn't really helpful with actually finishing the film, but Tony got really enthusiastic about it, which really was what Rhodey had hoped to achieve.

He got so enthusiastic about it, in fact, that Rhodey had to practically drag Tony away from the TV to get some food into him once lunchtime arrived.

"Come on, Tony, let's go get some food," Rhodey coaxed him. "I'm sure you're hungry."

"One more song," Tony begged, turning on the puppy eyes once more.

"That's what you said two songs ago," Rhodey reminded him, unable to hide his smile. "Look, I promise we'll continue later, but if you don't eat a proper lunch, Cap is going to be all growly with me. He'll think I haven't been taking care of you properly."

"He would?" Tony asked, eyes growing wide. The Cap card worked wonders in difficult situations, Rhodey had quickly noticed.

"He would," Rhodey assured him. "It's important to him that you're well taken care of. And it's important to me, too."

Tony seemed to mull that over in his head for a moment.

"Okay," he finally agreed, holding out his hands in a silent gesture to lift him up and carry him.

Rhodey gladly complied. He would easily admit that he wasn't 'man enough' to refuse that kind of demand. Not from a child, and especially not from a child like Tony.

* * *

 

As promised, they returned to watching films after they had eaten some really tasty sandwiches (according to Tony) for lunch. The meal had been uneventful, and Tony had been anxious to return to the TV, so Rhodey had given up and carried Tony back to the living room after a while.

At first, Tony had been very enthusiastic and watched with rapt attention, but after a while, he started to get sleepy, just like any other five-year-old. Rhodey quietly watched him trying hard to stay focused and nodding off now and then for a while. It was amusing to see, and while Tony had gotten much better with the 'not sleeping for extended periods of time', he still had the habit of carrying on so long until he couldn't help but nod off right where he was.

"Hey, Tony, let's go take a nap," Rhodey suggested, lifting Tony off the sofa.

"Nod shleeby," Tony weakly protested, trying to bat Rhodey's hands away and failing completely.

Rhodey only laughed and carried Tony's to Steve's room anyway. By the time Rhodey put him to bed, Tony was already fast asleep.

* * *

 

"Rhodeyyyy?" came Tony's sleepy voice from the hallway a while after Rhodey had left him napping in the bedroom.

"Hey, Tony, I'm here," Rhodey answered, poking his head out of the living room.

"Oh good," Tony mumbled, quickly padding towards him. "I thought you were gone."

"Not leaving," Rhodey promised him. "At least not until the others are back."

He stretched his arm out, and Tony immediately came close, bumping Rhodey's hand with his head and allowing himself to be petted. Rodey had to smile, because that was another thing that hadn't changed. Tony was still incredibly physically affectionate.

Tony had always had a good radar for people who were willing to give him physical affection. Rhodey had quickly become one of his favourite victims after they had met for the first time, because Rhodey had, other than most men, no problem with ‚no homo'. Tony had even less of a problem, because Tony simply didn't care _where_ he got his affections from, as long as he got them. (Well, maybe that wasn't quite accurate. He had his preferred sources of affection, but he wouldn't say no to others, too.)

"Want a snack?" Rhodey asked.

Tony only hummed with narrowed eyes, distracted by the petting.

"Let's go to the kitchen," Rhodey decided, and Tony was quick to follow him, or rather, his hand that promised more pats if he followed.

* * *

 

By the time the rest of the Avengers finally returned from wherever they had gone to during the day, Tony and Rhodey were once again sitting in front of the TV and singing along with the Aristocats (Tony had insisted, he wanted _cats_ ).

"Cap!" Tony squeaked when Steve entered the living room, still dressed in full Captain America regalia, jumping up from the sofa and running towards him.

Steve laughed and picked Tony up, whirling him around for a moment.

"Did you have fun?" he asked.

"Yes!" Tony shouted. "Steve, can Rhodey stay? He's fun, I want him to stay."

"Well, I think you need to ask that himself," Steve grinned, cuddling Tony for a bit. "He's a busy man."

Tony pouted at both Steve and Rhodey until both of them were laughing.

"Sorry, bud, I can't stay tonight," Rhodey apologised reluctantly. He actually didn't really want to leave, but he did have a job, one that was demanding and came with with a lot of responsibilities. "But here, let's pinky promise that we'll watch films together again."

Tony stared at him for a moment, disappointment clearly visible on his face, but then he decided that Rhodey was probably trustworthy enough and he stretched out his hand to make the promise.

"We'll have to watch Mulan together next time," Rhodey told him. "I'm sure you'll love that one."

(He knew older Tony absolutely adored it, so he guessed his tinier version would love it, as well.)

"Okay," Tony agreed, making a serious face. But as soon as Rhodey started packed his things and getting ready to leave, he started crying and clinging first to him and then to Steve when Steve gently pulled him off Rhodey.

"Thank you for today, Rhodey," Steve said both gratefully and a little apologetically over Tony's crying.

"Don't thank me," Rhodey replied, giving him a meaningful look. "Taking care of him is a matter of course."

He gave Steve a 'call me and keep me updated' sign, gave Tony a last pat and a long hug, and then left into the evening. But even while he drove towards all the other duties waiting for him, his mind stayed with Tony.

Not that that was a new thing. He had learned long ago to make peace with the constant worry on his mind, and now, he knew, he definitely wasn't the only one to fuss anymore.


End file.
